People living on the coast in midlife are more likely to have worse health, a new study of England and Wales led by UCL researchers finds.
The research, published in BMJ Public Health, found that migration trends have left more disadvantaged people living in coastal communities and that those who moved away from coastal areas before age 42 tended to have better health than those who moved to or stayed in coastal areas.
Corresponding author Professor Stephen Jivraj (UCL Epidemiology & Health Care) said, "Poorer health in coastal communities is not simply due to coastal living itself. Instead, it reflects a combination of higher deprivation and selective migration, where people with worse health are more likely to remain in or move to coastal areas.
"This suggests coastal regions may need targeted policies and resources to address growing health inequalities."
For the study, researchers used data from 13,691 people from the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS) and 14,683 people from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS). Participants were followed from birth through adolescence and into midlife.
